Article

Riders understand the importance of warming up as a way to ready the horse's mind and body for the challenges ahead, but there is more to a warm-up than simple preparation. Correctly done, prior exercise substantially benefits physical performance...
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Article

There are few similarities between horses and automobiles, but in a manner of speaking, the horse's circulatory and respiratory systems constitute its engine. The food a horse consumes is its fuel. The fuel is converted into nutritional energy that...
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Article

Trainers, owners, and researchers have long pondered the effects of a large heart (one that is naturally occurring and not a result of disease), and have even attempted to use heart size as a predictor of athletic ability....
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Oregon implemented a provisional equine feed label law on June 1 that would allow feed manufacturers to add non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) to the list of nutrient requirements already found on feed bags in that state. Adding NSC to the feed...
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Equine nutritionists and wise horse owners have long known that obesity in horses is not a good thing. The obese horse often is incapable of performing even moderate tasks without becoming exhausted and, as a result, placing itself in danger of...
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Article

Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), Cushing's disease, insulin resistance (IR), glucose intolerance, and glycemic indices of feeds have gotten a lot of press lately. The terms are taken from the human literature, where they have very specific...
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Researchers recently revealed that Cushing's disease is a major contributing factor to laminitis among horses in a primary care veterinary practice, and that the median age of laminitic Cushing's horses was 15 1/2 years--disproving tha...
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Article

In human nutrition, carbohydrates or "carbs" have a bit of a bad name these days. A quick trip through the local book store or over the Internet leads us to believe that dietary carbohydrates are the source of all evil. When weight loss is the...
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Article

Tying-up is a problem that has troubled horses and their owners for many years, and it has been known by many names. The old-timers who battled the syndrome in their draft horses following a Sunday away from the fields called it Monday morning...
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Article

The nutritional needs of the endurance horse are somewhat unique compared to horses used for other athletic disciplines. The metabolic demands of endurance racing (including competitive trail riding and ride and tie events) are high, requiring...
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Article

For the most part, the word "fat" has bad connotations in our society today--fat often is used to describe an overweight or obese state. When we think of dietary fat and the proportion of calories in our diet that is derived from various sources...
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Article

Most will agree that thorough preparation of a horse is key to success in athletic competition. With spring hopefully just around the corner, this is an opportune time to discuss conditioning. Of course, the nature of a conditioning program will...
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Article

Article

But because forages are not high-energy feeds, the athletic horse's diet needs to be supplemented in order to provide enough energy for him to perform at peak capacity. Traditionally, this is done by feeding grains, which are rich in carbohydrates...
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Article

Among the animals we call "livestock," horses are unique because they are the only ones we regard as athletes. Unlike other animals that are bred for better milk production or tastier flesh, horses are bred for athletic performance, each type...
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Special Report Download

Special Report Download

Q. Do you know of any research on how to reduce iron overload in horses that already are insulin resistant and have foundered? Is there an equine equivalent of chelation therapy to flush out toxins or heavy metals?

Featured Adoptable Horse

Bijoux

Bijoux is a sweet mare but has some issues. She has not been ridden consistently for about about a year and is very out of shape. She has moderately arthritic hocks and isn't always 100% sound. She is a headshaker (flips her head up and down, som ... Read More